Exclusive: Colbie Caillat Dishes On Her Dreamy New ‘Safe Haven’ Duet + More

Exclusive: Colbie Caillat Dishes On Her Dreamy New ‘Safe Haven’ Duet + More

The singer-songwriter talks Nicholas Sparks, inspiration, and what she’ll top charts with next.

-Diana Denza

Since releasing her first album in 2007, Colbie Caillat has sold millions of records, partnered with industry darlings like Jason Mraz and Taylor Swift, and taken home a Grammy Award. And now, the acoustic pop sensation has a duet with Gavin DeGraw featured in Safe Haven, a romantic thriller based on the eponymous Nicholas Sparks novel. We chatted with Caillat about her writing process, the group she’d love to team up with next, and her animal-friendly fashion sense.

Betty Confidential: How did you react when you were first asked to pen “We Both Know” for Safe Haven?

Colbie Caillat: I’m a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks! I loved The Notebook, so I was thrilled when I was asked to write a song for Safe Haven. Today, I had the opportunity to finally meet Nicholas. It was a pleasant surprise; he was very kind, gracious, and down to earth.

BC: What served as your writing inspiration?

CC: I hadn’t read the book, but they told me about the movie, so I had the film in mind while writing. The difficulties and struggles within Alex and Katie’s relationship are relatable to most couples in some way, which made “We Both Know” very personal. I think we all go through struggles, whether good or bad, so tapping into that was a big part of writing the song. This couple was scared to fall in love, to open up, to learn about themselves. Gavin and I also drew from our past experiences and relationships in the process.